Hamas: Official arrested in Egypt falsely accused

Gaza's Hamas rulers say a senior security official arrested in Egypt has been falsely accused of posing a threat to Egyptian security.

Mohammed Dababish, an official in Hamas' internal security unit, was arrested in Cairo this week in connection with an illegal shipment of walkie-talkies that Egypt says was to be smuggled to Gaza.

In Hamas' first reaction to the arrest, a spokesman denied Tuesday that Dababish was involved in smuggling. He said the arrest was surprising because Dababish participated in talks meant to reconcile rival Palestinian factions a few months ago as an official guest in Egypt.

Egypt has arrested a string of Hamas figures since one of its soldiers was killed in a shooting on the Egypt-Gaza border this year.